MMSL 2017, 86(2):86-89 | DOI: 10.31482/mmsl.2017.013

WHAT KILLED KIM JONG-NAM? WAS IT THE AGENT VX?Letter to the editor

Jiří Patočka ORCID...1,2
1 University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice, Faculty of Health and Social Studies, Institute of Radiology, Toxicology and Civil Protection, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
2 Biomedical Research Centre, University Hospital, Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic

Kim Jong-nam (10 May 1971 - 13 February 2017) was the eldest son of Kim Jong-il, leader of North Korea, and the estranged half-brother of North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un. From roughly 1994 to 2001, he was considered the heir to his father [1]. Following a series of actions showing dissent to the North Korean regime, including a failed attempt to visit Tokyo Disneyland in May 2001 by entering Japan with a false passport, he was thought to have fallen out of favour with his father. On 13 February 2017, Kim was allegedly murdered by two women who fled after the crime [2]. The murder was commited in Malaysia during his return trip to Macau, at the low-cost carrier terminal of the Kuala Lumpur International Airport [3]. Initial reports suggest that Kim Jong-nam was murdered by VX, a type of agent used in chemical warfare [4]. Toxicological tests showed the presence of VX in Kim's eyes and face [5]. What is the agent VX and could this toxic substance cause the death of Kim?

Received: March 2, 2017; Revised: March 13, 2017; Published: June 9, 2017  Show citation

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Patočka, J. (2017). WHAT KILLED KIM JONG-NAM? WAS IT THE AGENT VX? MMSL, 86(2), 86-89. doi: 10.31482/mmsl.2017.013
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